Creating Topiaries

Guest Author - Connie Krochmal

Topiaries are among the most traditional of the floral designs styles. These are classics, and are suitable for any type of room décor.

Styrofoam is often used as the base for topiaries. This needs to be inserted into a container, such as an urn. Then the surface of the Styrofoam is covered with flowers, greenery, or fruits. Depending on the time of the year, the materials can be seasonal. A lot of floral materials are needed in
order to cover the Styrofoam.

These arrangements can assume many different shapes. They can be round, pyramidal, cone-shaped, tree-like, or multi-tiered.

The most common topiary is the dried flower arrangement that is typically made with dried roses or sunflowers. In this simple topiary, the container can be as fancy or simple as one desires. Ceramic or terra cotta flower pots are often preferred. This style of topiary is actually quite versatile.

Dried floral foam is cut to fit into the container. For a classic dried rose topiary the stems are inserted into the foam and tied at the top into a bundle. All the stems should be the same height for this upright style topiary. Moss is often used to wrap the bare stems or placed over the top of the base to conceal the floral foam.

For a dried tea rose topiary, cut the stems of the flowers very short and hot glue these to the foam ball. It is also possible to create a Della Robbia style arrangement using a ball shaped piece of Styrofoam.

One could also create a moss and berry covered topiary ball. Hold the moss in place with floral pins. Next, add the berries and greenery.

In the home, the topiaries can serve many purposes. Short ones are ideal for centerpieces. These are often displayed on mantles and tabletops. In the case of moss topiaries, I like to use three or so on a mantle using a mix of single and two-tiered styles.

For the most part, the dried materials are hot glued to the Styrofoam. In some cases, the stems of the floral material are firm enough to stick into the Styrofoam. In other cases, the flowers are first hot glued to flower picks, which are then inserted into the foam.